TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran's First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi inaugurated a government's project to save the dying lake of Orumiyeh in the Northwestern parts of the country.
Rahimi, who was in East Azarbaijan Province, inaugurated the project to transfer the Aras River's water to Northeast Orumiyeh Lake on Saturday.
The project aims to provide potable water to 22 cities and 286 villages and improve the level of water in Orumiyeh Lake.
The Aras River is located in and along the countries of Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Located in Northwestern Iran between the provinces of East and West Azerbaijan and near Iran's border with Turkey, Orumiyeh is the largest lake in the Middle-East and the third largest saltwater lake on Earth.
A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a Ramsar (an international treaty for the protection of wetlands) site said, the lake has shrunk considerably in the past years and could disappear entirely.